Heating-element support for water heaters



W. M. WRIGHT.

HEATING ELEMENT SUPPORT FOR WATER HEATERS- APPLICATIO! FILED APR, 21. 1921'.

Patented Nov. 14, 1922.

ggi

Patented Nov. 1 19.122, v

p 1 wires err-trite;

' wILLIs at. warerrr, or tiny/entrant conwnerrou'r, assrenon TOYTI-IE NATIONAL I rrrnnnnnrne nno'rrouce' (warrant, or Haven, 'coivnncrrouiua oonronnrron or con- HEATING-ELEMENT surroivr ron warns i-rnrirnns.

Application filed April 21,1921. SerialNo. 46am; 3

T 0 all whom it may concern:

, Be it known that I, WILLIs M. f/VnIoH'r,

a citizen of the United States, residing atv New Haven," in :the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Heat ing-Element Supports 'for Water Heaters, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accom panying drawing This invention" relates to certain new and useful improv'ements in heating element supports for water heaters, the object being to provide a rigid non-vibratory support for supporting the heatin element within a tank in such a manner that the element as a unit can'be removed for cleaning or repairing, thereby overcoming the difficulties now existing in tanks of this character'by having to remove the man-hole cover andcrawl into thetank' to remove the braces for supporting the heating element Another and further object of the invention is-"to provide-a- Iconstruction of support 7 wherein the'U-tubes of the heating element are arranged in copper or other metaltube sleeves disposed Wlthlll a steel or lIOIl disk so as to rigidly support the inner ends of the tubes and in such a manner that themetal tubes are supported within tubes of the same or similar metal so as to prevent any electrolytic action;

Another and further object of the'invention is to provide a heating element support which is exceedingly simple and cheap construction and one in which the heating element is slidably mounted within the tank in such a manner that when the cover of the tank is removed, the heating element can be drawn out through the opening so that.

the scale or any be made.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter set forth and the novel features thereof will be defined in the appended claims,

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through a portion of the tank, showing the application of my improved construction of heating element support; a

Figure 2 is an end elevation, the tube plate being removed, showing the support and other repair necessary can Ll-tubes disposed in the support plate which '18 slidably mountedon the T-b'ar; and I takenon line 3+3 of Figure 1. I

In the drawings 1 indicates a tank which may be ofthe ordinary construction nowin use having a man-hole at one end (not shown) and provided at itsopposite end with a head 2 having an opening 3*over which is arranged a housing 4; The particular con- FigureB is; anenlargedvertical section a structionof tank is immaterial as I am aware that various constructions oi tanks can be usedjwlthout" departing from the spir tof my 1I1V6I1l31011 as'ln some instances the shell ofthe tank is provided with a head having anopening and the housing as a separate element is dispensed with and therefore I do'not wish to'limit myselfto theuse of any particular construction of tank.

:The housing 4 is provided with an opening firegistering with the opening 3 of the head of the tank having a T-bar Thorizontally disposed within the tank and supported at its forward end by abrace 8' which is bolted ori'welded to thestem of the T-iron i' and has its-otberend rigidly secured tothe head of the tank by welding or riveting the same or by weldingthe T-iro'n directly to the housing 4 whenflthe same is made of steel.

The'inner end ofthe T-har? is supported by a brace 9, the upper end ofwhich is securedto the stem of theTfbar by bolts or welding, the lower end being welded or riveted to the shell of the tank so as to support the T-bar rigidly in a horizontal position in a horizontal plane slightly above the lower edge of the opening 5 of the housing 4.

Secured overthe housing a is a steel or cast iron tube plate 10 in which the ends of l tubes 11 are expanded in the usual manner,

said U-tubes extending through short lengths of copper or other metallic tube sleeves 12 which are expanded into openings 13 formed in aperforated disk 1 so that the metallic tubes 11 are in contact with short metallic tube sleeves 13 of similar metal to the tubes 11 so as to prevent any electrolytic action. I

The particular construction of U-tube to form a ,U-bend type of heating element is immaterial and therefore I do not wish to limit myself to the particular construction of heating elements used as I amiaware that under certain conditions the type of heating element can be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention.

The disk 1.4; is provided with a substantially T-shaped slot 15 to receive the T-iron 7 and upon which the disk is slidably mounted so that the heating element can be insert-- ed and removed very quickly by'simply removing the bolts 16 employed for holding the cover 17 and tube plate 10 to the housing.

lVhen the cover is removed, the tube plate can be withdrawn so as to remove the heat-- ing element as a unit as the supporting disk 14 slides on the T-iron i" in such a manne that the heating element can be withdrawn through the opening 5 of the housing so to allow the heating element to be cleaned or repaired, thereby overcoming the Clill'lCUlties now existing of having to crawl in through the man-hole of tanks of this character and remove the braces so as to allow the heating element to be removed,

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have provided a heating element support for storage and hot water heaters comprising a guide member-on which is slidably mounted a. supporting disk carrying the inner end of a heating element in such a manner that the heating element is free to slide inwardly and outwardly on the guide member so that the heating element can be readily inserted or removed and when in position Within the tank is supported in a rigid manner by pipe sleeves arranged to receive the legs of the U-bend of the heating element.

hat I claim is .1. The combination With a tank having an opening at one end through which is adapted to be inserted a heating element, of a guide member mounted in said. tank and a heating element having a sliding and interlocking connection with said guide member.

2. A heating element support for tanks comprising a guide member, a supporting member having a sliding and interlocking member disposed within said tank and rigidly supported therein, of a'hea-ting element. composed ofa plurality of tubes capable of being inserted and removed through said opening and a plate for supporting said heating element having a slot corresponding in shape to said guide member and upon which said plate is slidably mounted.

5. The combination with a tankhaving an opening, of aheating element adapted to be inserted through said opening, a member for supporting the inner end of said heating element having an opening and a guide member disposed within said tank conforming in shape to the opening in said supporting member and. upon which said member is slidably mounted.

6. Thecombination with a tank having an opening at one end, of a substantially T- shaped guide member disposed in said tank in a plane above the lower wall of said open ing, of a. supporting member having an opencorresponding in shape to said guide member slidably mounted upon said guide member and aheating element carried by said supporting member.

In testimony whereof I hereuntoafiix my signature.

WILLIS M. wmenrf 

